1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a silicone/DACRON composite vascular graft, especially well suited as an arteriovenous (A-V) graft fistula for patients requiring long-term vascular access, such as in the case of chronic kidney dialysis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Silicone grafts have been developed in the past using a variety of construction methods. The benefits of silicone material are described in U.S. Pat. 4,687,482. A DACRON outer support, which prevents aneurysm, is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,657,544 and 4,629,458. White and Roy have patents which use silicone impregnated into sea urchin skeleton to form a porous structure one the skeleton is dissolved away; see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,107 and 3,929,971.
An electrostatic spinning technology has been patented for use in primarily polyurethane grafts in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,043,331; 4,044,404; 4,639,186; 4,127,706; 4,345,414; 4,323,525; and 4,878,908. These patents describe procedures used to spin polyurethane fibers. Without the addition of infra red (IR) curing as part of the immediate fiber curing process, the silicone fibers would meld together and form a clump.